在文章的瀏覽過程中，對文中資訊重要性的判斷可以幫助讀者快速有效地瞭解段落的大意。在瀏覽過程中，讀者可以通過尋找訊號詞來區分重要資訊和非重要資訊。以下列出的.是閱讀過程中常見的幾類訊號詞。
1.以下片語提示下文所涉及的重要資訊：
The main / important point / conclusion / reason.
The point to note here
2.以下片語提示了下文的結構框架：
There are three major reasons
和 however表示對比，常常用來提示重要資訊，例如：
The rising birth rate is not due to increased fertility, but to a sharp decline in the death rate.
4.在文中提問可以突出問題後的答案，提示讀者答案中有重要資訊，例如：
Why is a piped water supply so important? Disease due to contaminated water is a common cause of death in childhood.
